Field
This document relates to a stereoscopic image display device.
Related Art
Techniques for stereoscopic image display devices are classified into a stereoscopic technique and an autostereoscopic technique.
The stereoscopic technique uses parallax images of the left and right eyes having a high three-dimensional effect and comprises a stereoscopic method and an autostereoscopic method both of which are being put to practical use. The stereoscopic method is used to display the left and right parallax images on a direct-view display device or a projector in a time-division manner or by changing the polarization directions of the left and right parallax images and to implement a stereoscopic image using the polarization glasses or the liquid crystal shutter glasses. In the autostereoscopic method, in general, a polarizing plate, such as a parallax barrier for separating the optical axes of the left and right parallax images, is placed in front or at the rear of a display screen.
In the stereoscopic method, a switchable retarder panel for converting the light which is incident on the polarization glasses into a polarized light, can be placed over the display device. The stereoscopic method is used to alternately display a left-eye image and a right-eye image on the display device and to convert the light which is incident on the polarization glasses into a polarized light, using the switchable retarder panel. Accordingly, the stereoscopic method can implement a stereoscopic image without a reduction in resolution by time-dividing the left-eye image and the right-eye image. A conventional 3-D image display device using the stereoscopic method is, however, problematic in that it has residual retardation when converting the emitted light to a polarized light using the switchable retarder panel. Accordingly, there is a need for improvements of the conventional 3-D image display device because such residual retardation causes leakage of light in one of the polarization glasses.